Communications system and method, information processing apparatus and method, information management apparatus and method, recording medium and program

ABSTRACT

A communications system and method, an information processing apparatus and method, an information management apparatus and method, a recording medium and a program make it possible to efficiently and comfortably make use of contents, which are stored in one server, from a plurality of devices connected via a network. In a case in which the playing of content is stopped, bookmark information including a time stamp representing the stopped position of the content is stored in association with predetermined identification information. The bookmark information is available for various apparatuses transmitting the identification information. When playing the content from a position designated by the information from a predetermined apparatus, the time stamp included in the bookmark information is referred to and the playing of the content from the stopped position is started. The present invention can be applied to various apparatuses such as a personal computer, audio equipment, a PDA, a mobile phone and the like.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/888,665, filed on May 7, 2013, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/542,221 filed on Mar. 6, 2006, whichapplication is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. §371 ofInternational Application No. PCT/JP2003/015648 filed Dec. 8, 2003,which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. P2003/015568filed Jan. 24, 2003, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a communications system and method, aninformation processing apparatus and method, an information managementapparatus and method, a recording medium and a program, and inparticular relates to a communications system and method, an informationprocessing apparatus and method, an information management apparatus andmethod, a recording medium and a program that make it possible toefficiently and comfortably make use of contents, which are stored inone server, from a plurality of devices connected via a network.

In recent years, high-capacity hard disks and DVD (Digital VersatileDisc) recorder drives have become relatively less expensive, and viewingtelevision programs and the like using AV (Audio Visual) devicesequipped with such devices is becoming popular.

In addition, even while viewing a television program or the like usingsuch a device, in order to make it possible to stop viewing thetelevision program and later resume viewing, a technology is disclosedin Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-44586,mentioned below, where information representing stopped positions islisted and managed in association with identification information oftelevision program data.

However, with the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 2002-44586, there is a problem in that thelisted and managed information representing stopped positions isavailable only to the device that set it, and cannot be used by otherdevices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is made in view of such circumstances, and makesit possible to make use of contents stored in one server moreefficiently and comfortably from a plurality of devices connected via anetwork.

An information processing apparatus of a communications system of thepresent invention includes playing means for playing content providedfrom an information management apparatus via a network; first requestmeans for requesting that the information management apparatus store atime stamp in association with predetermined identification information,while the content is played by the playing means, in response to aninstruction that the time stamp representing a playing position of thecontent at that moment be stored; and second request means fortransmitting the identification information to the informationmanagement apparatus and for requesting the playing of the content fromthe playing position represented by the time stamp, wherein theidentification information includes information allotted to each userand information allotted to each user group, and the playing means isoperable to play the content from the playing position represented bythe time stamp in accordance with the request by the second requestmeans. In addition, the information management apparatus of thecommunications system of the present invention includes providing meansfor providing the content to the information processing apparatus viathe network; and storing means for storing the time stamp in associationwith the identification information, wherein the providing means isoperable to provide the content from the playing position represented bythe time stamp when the information processing apparatus transmits theidentification information and requests the playing of the content fromthe playing position represented by the time stamp.

A communication method of a communications system of the presentinvention includes playing content provided from an informationmanagement apparatus via a network; requesting that the informationmanagement apparatus store a time stamp in association withpredetermined identification information during the playing step inresponse to an instruction to store the time stamp representing aplaying position of the content at that moment; transmitting theidentification information to the information management apparatus andrequesting the playing of the content from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp, the identification information includinginformation allotted to each user and information allotted to each usergroup, and the playing step plays the content from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp in accordance with the step of requestingthe playing. In addition, the communication method of the communicationssystem of the present invention includes storing the time stamp inassociation with the identification information; and providing thecontent to an information processing apparatus via the network from theplaying position represented by the time stamp when the transmittingstep transmits the identification information and the step of requestingthe playing requests the playing of the content from the playingposition represented by the time stamp.

An information processing apparatus of the present invention includesplaying means for playing content provided via a network from aninformation management apparatus that manages the content; first requestmeans for requesting that the information management apparatus store atime stamp in association with predetermined identification information,while the content is played by the playing means, in response to aninstruction to store the time stamp representing a playing position ofthe content at that moment; and second request means for transmittingthe identification information to the information management apparatusand for requesting the playing of the content from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp, wherein the identification informationincludes information allotted to each user and information allotted toeach user group, and the playing means is operable to play the contentfrom the playing position represented by the time stamp in accordancewith the request by the second request means.

In a case where an instruction to store a time stamp is given at thesame time as an instruction to stop the playing of the content, thefirst request means may request that the information managementapparatus stop providing the content as well as store the time stamp.

An information processing apparatus of the present invention may furtherinclude third request means for requesting that a viewing statusinformation management apparatus that manages viewing status informationstore viewing status information representing a viewing status of thecontent. In this case, the second request means is operable to requestthe playing of the content from the playing position represented by thetime stamp in accordance with the viewing status of the contentrepresented by the viewing status information.

An information processing method of an information processing apparatusof the present invention includes playing content provided via a networkfrom an information management apparatus that manages content;requesting that the information management apparatus store a time stampin association with predetermined identification information during theplaying step in response to an instruction to store the time stamprepresenting a playing position of the content at that moment; andtransmitting the identification information to the informationmanagement apparatus and requesting the playing of the content from theplaying position represented by the time stamp, the identificationinformation including information allotted to each user and informationallotted to each user group, and the playing step plays the content fromthe playing position represented by the time stamp in accordance withthe step of requesting the playing.

A program recorded on a recording medium for carrying out an informationprocessing method of the present invention as well as a system forcarrying out an information processing method of the present inventioninclude playing content provided via a network from an informationmanagement apparatus that manages content; requesting that theinformation management apparatus store a time stamp in association withpredetermined identification information during the playing step inresponse to an instruction to store the time stamp representing aplaying position of the content at that moment; and transmitting theidentification information to the information management apparatus andrequesting the playing of the content from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp, the identification information includinginformation allotted to each user and information allotted to each usergroup, and the playing step plays the content from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp in accordance with the step of requestingthe playing.

An information management apparatus of the present invention includesproviding means for providing predetermined content to an informationprocessing apparatus via a network; and storing means for storing a timestamp in association with predetermined identification information inaccordance with a request from the information processing apparatus, thetime stamp representing a playing position of the content provided bythe providing means, wherein the providing means is operable to providethe content from the playing position represented by the time stamp whenthe information processing apparatus transmits the identificationinformation and requests that the content be played from the playingposition represented by the time stamp.

An information management apparatus of the present invention may furtherinclude viewing status information storing means for storing viewingstatus information representing a viewing status of the content inaccordance with a request from the information processing apparatus. Inthis case, the providing means is operable to provide the content fromthe playing position represented by the time stamp when the viewingstatus of the content represented by the viewing status informationindicates that the content has not been played to the end.

An information management method of an information management apparatusof the present invention includes providing predetermined content to aninformation processing apparatus via a network; and storing a time stampin association with predetermined identification information inaccordance with a request from the information processing apparatus, thetime stamp representing a playing position of the content provided bythe providing step, wherein the providing step provides the content fromthe playing position represented by the time stamp when the informationprocessing apparatus transmits the identification information andrequests that the content be played from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp.

A program recorded on a recording medium for carrying out an informationmanagement method of the present invention as well as a system forcarrying out an information management method of the present inventioninclude providing predetermined content to an information processingapparatus via a network; and storing a time stamp in association withpredetermined identification information in accordance with a requestfrom the information processing apparatus, the time stamp representing aplaying position of the content provided by the providing step, whereinthe providing step provides the content from the playing positionrepresented by the time stamp when the information processing apparatustransmits the identification information and requests that the contentbe played from the playing position represented by the time stamp.

In a communication system and method of the present invention, contentprovided from an information management apparatus via a network isplayed, and when an instruction to store a time stamp representing theplaying position at that moment is given while the content is beingplayed, the information management apparatus is requested to store thetime stamp in association with predetermined identification information.In addition, the identification information is transmitted to theinformation management apparatus, the playing of the content from theplaying position represented by the time stamp is requested, and thecontent is played from the playing position represented by the timestamp. Further, the content is provided to an information processingapparatus via the network, the time stamp is stored in association withthe identification information in accordance with a request from theinformation processing apparatus, and the content is provided from theplaying position represented by the time stamp when the identificationinformation is transmitted and when a request is made to play thecontent from the playing position represented by the time stamp.

In an information processing apparatus and method as well as a programof the present invention, content provided via a network from aninformation management apparatus, which manages content, is played, andwhen an instruction to store a time stamp representing the playingposition at that moment is given while the content is being played, theinformation management apparatus is requested to store the time stamp inassociation with predetermined identification information. In addition,the identification information is transmitted to the informationmanagement apparatus, the playing of the content from the playingposition represented by the time stamp is requested, and the content isplayed from the playing position represented by the time stamp.

In an information management apparatus and method as well as a programof the present invention, predetermined content is provided to aninformation processing apparatus via a network, and in accordance with arequest from the information processing apparatus, a time stamp, whichrepresents the playing position for the content, is stored inassociation with predetermined identification information. In addition,when, from the information processing apparatus, the identificationinformation is transmitted and a request is made to play the contentfrom the playing position represented by the time stamp, the content isplayed from the playing position represented by the time stamp.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram indicating a concept of a communications system towhich the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of thecommunications system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another configuration example of thecommunications system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on adisplay device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a client inFIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example ofthe communications system in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of bookmark information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart explaining a process by the client.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart explaining a bookmark information registrationprocess by a server executed in correspondence with the process in FIG.8.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart explaining a content playing process by theserver executed in correspondence with the process in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart explaining a content playing process by theclient.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another configuration example of thecommunications system.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing another functional configurationexample of the communications system to which the present invention isapplied.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart explaining a process by a client in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart explaining a process by a bookmark informationmanagement server executed in correspondence with the process in FIG.14.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart explaining a process by a content managementserver executed in correspondence with the process in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of thecommunications system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the communicationssystem in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart explaining another operation of thecommunications system in FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a diagram indicating the concept of a communications system towhich the present invention is applied.

A client 1 and a server 2 are connected via, for example, a home networkincluding a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN compliantwith IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11a,802.11b, or the like that is set up inside the home. Therefore, betweenthe client 1 and the server 2, various kinds of information aretransmitted and received via that home network.

In the communications system in FIG. 1, a user operates the client 1using a remote controller 4, and is able to output video contents andthe like stored in the server 2 to a display device 3 connected to theclient 1.

For example, if the user operates the remote controller 4 and instructsthe playing of a predetermined content, a command representing as muchis transmitted from the remote controller 4 to the client 1 by way ofinfrared rays. That command is received by a control section 12 of theclient 1 via a light acceptance unit 11.

The control section 12 that has received the command requests a controlsection 21 of the server 2 to play (streaming play) the contentinstructed by the user, and plays the content read from a memory section22 and transmitted via the home network by controlling a content playingcontrol section 13. Images of the content played by the content playingcontrol section 13 are displayed on the display device 3.

It is noted that the memory section 22 of the server 2 includes not onlya content memory section 31 in which contents are stored, but also abookmark information memory section 32. Bookmark information including atime stamp representing, if content viewing has been stopped by theuser, the stopped position is stored in this bookmark information memorysection 32.

In other words, if the user stops the content being played in apredetermined timing, a command representing the stopping of the contentis transmitted from the remote controller 4, and is acquired by thecontrol section 12 via the light acceptance unit 11. With respect to thecontrol section 21 of the server 2, the control section 12 requests thestopping of the content and requests storage of the bookmark informationrepresenting the stopped position of the content. In accordance withthis request, the server 2 stops streaming the content, and makes thebookmark information memory section 32 store the bookmark informationincluding the time stamp representing the stopped position of thecontent.

Then, later, if the user uses the remote controller 4 to instruct theplaying of the content from the position at which viewing was stoppedpreviously, information that requests playing from the previouslystopped position is transmitted along with the identificationinformation for the content to be played to the control section 21 ofthe server 2 from the control section 12 of the client 1. Based on thebookmark information stored in the bookmark information memory section32, the server 2 refers to the time stamp representing the stoppedposition, and starts playing the content from the position designated bythat time stamp.

Thus, even in a case where content viewing is interrupted (stopped), theuser is able to resume content viewing from that interrupted position ata later time.

In addition, in FIG. 1, for purposes of convenience, it is depicted asif communications are performed directly between the control section 12of the client 1 and the control section 21 of the server 2, as well asbetween the content memory section 31 of the server 2 and the contentplaying control section 13 of the client 1. However, as will bedescribed later, in reality, such communications are performed viacommunications control sections (a communications control section 101 ofthe client 1 and a communications control section 121 of the server 2)that control communications.

It is noted that, in the communications system in FIG. 1, the contentsand the bookmark information stored in the server 2 are made availableto other clients (clients other than the client 1) that are connected tothe home network as well.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communicationssystem in a case where a plurality of clients are connected to theserver 2. Elements that find correspondence in FIG. 1 are designatedwith the same reference numerals.

In the example in FIG. 2, the client 1, the server 2 and the displaydevice 3 are set up in a room 41, and a client 61, which is a laptoppersonal computer, is set up in a room 42. As are the server 2 and theclient 1, the server 2 and the client 61 in FIG. 2 are connected by awireless LAN or the like. Therefore, as in the case of client 1, usingthe client 61, the user is able to view on the display section thereofthe contents stored in the server 2.

In addition, since the bookmark information registered in the server 2from the client 1 is available to the client 61 as well, the user isable to view contents on the display section of the client 61 from theposition at which viewing was interrupted at the display device 3. It isnoted that the same content image is displayed on the display device 3and the display section of the client 61 in FIG. 2.

As will be described later, the bookmark information includes, besidesthe time stamp and the content identification information,identification information of the user (user ID) who uses it,identification information for identifying the group of the user (usergroup ID) and the like, for example. In other words, by having thebookmark information be read and having information such as the timestamp included therein be referred to on the basis of identificationinformation input through a predetermined operation, the user, or groupof users, are able to, using a predetermined client, view contents fromthe position designated by the bookmark information.

In addition, for example, in trying to view the content from theinterrupted position, even if another user is already using the clientthat registered the bookmark information, the user is able to view thecontent from the interrupted position using another client.

It is assumed above that the content for which the bookmark informationis set is video content. However, as shown in FIG. 3, for example,bookmark information may also be set from a client 61B, which is anaudio device connected to the server 2 via a home network 71, withrespect to music content stored in the server 2. In addition, using aclient 61A, which is a laptop personal computer connected to the server2 via the home network 71, the user is able to make the server 2 referto the bookmark information set from the client 61B and listen to musiccontent from the position at which playing was interrupted at the client61B.

Thus, bookmark information can be set to various contents, such as videocontents, music contents, still picture contents and the like, and used.In addition, in a similar manner, bookmark information (bookmark) thatis set for a predetermined web page as content may be shared among agroup of users. It is noted that it may be arranged such that onlycontents that do not infringe upon the copyrights of another and do notcause damage to a copyright owner are made sharable.

In addition, clients that may use the contents and the bookmarkinformation may be, besides personal computers and audio devices,various devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), mobilephones and the like.

Further, in the communications system in FIG. 1, the user may registeras the bookmark information not only the time stamp representing asubsequent play start point, but also a time stamp representing a user'sfavorite point (highlight point).

For example, when, while viewing video content, there is a scene that helikes, the user operates the remote controller 4 and instructs theregistration of a highlight point. The client 1 that has received thecommand transmitted from the remote controller 4 and instructing theregistration of a highlight point requests the server 2 to set ahighlight point, and makes it store a time stamp representing theplaying position at that moment.

Later, in a case where the user instructs content viewing starting fromthe highlight point, content playing is started in accordance with thetime stamp registered as the highlight point.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the display device3 in a case where a highlight point is set for a predetermined videocontent.

The image displayed on a screen 3A is an image of the predeterminedvideo content before playing from the highlight is instructed, and theimage displayed on a screen 3B shown ahead of the outline arrow is theimage of the video content when playing from the highlight point isinstructed. In other words, when viewing from the highlight point isinstructed, the playing position of the content is moved based on thetime stamp designating the highlight point and the image is switched.

For example, in a case where the position of a pointer 52 on the screen3A is the current playing position and the position of a pointer 53 is ahighlight point, when playing from that highlight point is instructed,the playing position of the content is moved (the display switches), theposition of the pointer 52 representing the current playing position ismoved to the position of the pointer 53 as shown on the screen 3B.

It is noted that a bar 51 represents the duration of the entire content.In addition, depending on the user configuration, the displaying of thebar 51, and the pointers 52 and 53 in FIG. 4 can be switched on/off.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the client1 in FIG. 1.

A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81 executes various processes inaccordance with programs stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 82 or withprograms loaded to a RAM (Random Access Memory) 83 from a memory section88. In addition, data and the like that are necessary for the CPU 81 toexecute various processes are stored in the RAM 83 as required.

The CPU 81, the ROM 82 and the RAM 83 are interconnected via a bus 84.An input/output interface 85 is also connected to this bus 84.

An input section 86, which may include a keyboard, a mouse, the lightacceptance unit 11 for infrared rays emitted from the remote controller4 and the like, an output section 87, which may include an interface forthe display device 3 or a speaker and the like, the memory section 88,which may include a hard disk and the like, and a communications section89 that performs communications via a home network are connected to theinput/output interface 85.

As required, a drive 90 is also connected to the input/output interface85, a magnetic disk 91, an optical disc 92, a magneto-optical disc 93, asemiconductor memory 94 or the like is loaded, and a computer programread therefrom is installed in the memory section 88 as required.

It is noted that the server 2 in FIG. 1 and the client 61 in FIG. 2essentially have a similar configuration as the client 1 shown in FIG.5. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration in FIG. 5 will also becited as the configuration of the server 2 and the client 61 (otherclients besides the client 1) as required.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example ofthe communications system in FIG. 1. As for elements described above,descriptions thereof will be omitted as deemed appropriate.

Each of the functional sections of the client 1 shown in FIG. 6 isrealized by having a predetermined control program executed by the CPU81 of the client 1.

The control section 12 controls the overall operations of the client 1.The communications control section 101 controls communications via thehome network 71 that are performed by the communications section 89. Forexample, content (streaming data) transmitted from the server 2 via thehome network 71 is acquired by this communications control section 101and output to the content playing control section 13.

In addition, in the communications control section 101 are included aplay request section 101A, which requests the server 2 to play contents,and a bookmark information setting request section 101B. In other words,a request by the control section 12 to play contents is performed viathe play request section 101A, and a request by the control section 12to set bookmark information is performed via the bookmark informationsetting request section 101B.

A display control section 102 controls the displaying of images on thedisplay device 3 on the basis of data that is played by the contentplaying control section 13. A user interface (I/F) control section 103acquires commands included in the infrared rays received at the lightacceptance unit 11, and outputs them to the control section 12.

For example, when the playing of content from a position designated bybookmark information is requested of the server 2, an individual/groupverification section 104 performs, as required, verification on thebasis of user ID, user group ID, a predetermined password and the likewith the control section 21 of the server 2. A device ID memory section105 stores therein device IDs and outputs them to the control section 12as required. These device IDs are information unique to each device,such as MAC (Media Access Control) addresses and the like, and are usedin the verification process with the server 2 as required.

Each of the functional sections of the server 2 is realized by having apredetermined control program executed by the CPU 81 of the server 2.

The control section 21 controls the overall operations of the server 2.The communications control section 121 controls communications with theclient 1 that are performed via the home network 71.

The content memory section 31 stores contents and provides requestedcontents in accordance with requests from the client 1. The bookmarkinformation memory section 32 stores bookmark information and providesit to the control section 21 as required.

It is noted that, in FIG. 6, only the client 1 is shown as the clientthat uses the contents stored in the server 2, however, other clients(such as the client 61 in FIG. 2) having a configuration similar to theclient 1 are also connected to the home network 71.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the bookmark informationstored in the bookmark information memory section 32 of the server 2.

For example, in the bookmark information are included “bookmark number(No)” as identification information, and the ID of the content that isthe subject of that bookmark information. In other words, bookmarkinformation is set for each content in accordance with instructions fromthe user.

In addition, the bookmark information includes information representingwhether, with respect to a client that has notified a valid user ID,access to the bookmark information is to be authorized (whether aconfirmation, by user ID, of an access right is necessary)(authorized/unauthorized), information representing whether, withrespect to a client that has notified a valid user group ID, access tothe bookmark information is to be authorized, and informationrepresenting whether, with respect to a client that has notified a validdevice ID, access to the bookmark information is to be authorized.

For example, by setting such that a client that has notified a validuser ID is authorized to access the bookmark information, the user isable to use the bookmark information from any client that is capable ofaccessing the server 2 by inputting the user ID. In addition, by settingsuch that a client that has notified a valid user group ID is authorizedto access the bookmark information, the user is able to share onebookmark information among a plurality of users that know the user groupID. Further, by setting such that a client that has notified a validdevice ID is authorized to access the bookmark information, one bookmarkinformation may be shared among users that use the client to which thedevice ID is allocated.

Returning to the description of FIG. 7, the bookmark informationincludes pointer type (type as in what position the position designatedby the pointer represents) and a time stamp value representing theposition of that pointer.

The bookmark number allocated to the bookmark information shown in FIG.7 is “001,” and the ID of its subject content is “777777.” In addition,in order to use the bookmark information, verification by user ID isnecessary, and the user ID is given as “123456.”

Further, the bookmark information in FIG. 7 includes a play startposition for the next occasion (the position at which playing waspreviously stopped) and a pointer representing a play end position.Specifically, the bookmark information in FIG. 7 represents the factthat the content is to be played from the position of a play startpointer set in a timing at which “0 hours 12 minutes and 34 seconds (0 h12 m 34 s)” have elapsed from the beginning of the content, and the factthat no play end pointer designating the position at which playing is toend is set and the content is to be played to its end.

Bookmark information including such various kinds of information is setfor each content and is managed by the bookmark information memorysection 32.

Next, operations of each device in the communications system in FIG. 6will be described.

First, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 8, a process by theclient 1 that is performed in accordance with operations on the remotecontroller 4 by the user will be described.

In step S1, the user interface control section 103 acquires via thelight acceptance unit 11 a command transmitted from the remotecontroller 4 and accepts an operation by the user. A signalcorresponding to the operation accepted by the user interface controlsection 103 is output to the control section 12.

In step S2, on the basis of the output from the user interface controlsection 103, the control section 12 determines whether the playing ofcontent from a play start point registered as bookmark information isinstructed by the user. If in step S2 the control section 12 determinesthat playing from the play start point that is set for a predeterminedcontent is instructed, the process goes to step S3.

In step S3, the control section 12 generates play request data includingthe content ID of the content for which playing is requested, a user ID,a user group ID, and a command instructing playing from the play startpoint (pointer type: play start), and proceeds to step S4 to transmit itto the server 2. Thus, after verification based on the user ID, the usergroup ID and the like is performed at the server 2 as required, theplaying of the content designated by the content ID is started from theplay start point (step S52 in FIG. 10).

On the other hand, if in step S2 the control section 12 determines thatthe playing of the content from the play start point is not instructedby the user, the process goes to step S5, and the control section 12determines whether the stopping of the content currently playing isinstructed.

In step S5, in a case where it is determined by the control section 12that the stopping of the content currently playing is instructed, theprocess goes to step S6 and the content playing control section 13 readsthe time stamp at that moment of the content currently playing. The timestamp value read by the content playing control section 13 is output tothe control section 12.

In step S7, the control section 12 generates bookmark informationregistration request data including the content ID of the content forwhich playing is requested to stop, a user ID, a user group ID, acommand requesting the registration of a play start pointer (a pointerrepresenting the play start position for the next occasion) and the timestamp value read by the content playing control section 13, and theprocess goes to step S8 where the control section 12 transmits it to theserver 2. Thus, after verification based on the user ID, the user groupID and the like is performed at the server 2 as required, bookmarkinformation registration is performed (step S32 in FIG. 9).

In other words, in this example, registration of the bookmarkinformation is performed when the stopping of the content currentlyplaying is requested. It is noted that the bookmark information may alsobe registered when the pausing of the content is requested, or when theplaying of other contents instead of the currently playing content isinstructed.

In step S5, in a case where the control section 12 determines that thestopping of the content currently playing is not instructed, the processgoes to step S9 where the control section 12 determines whetherregistration of a highlight point is requested. In step S9, in a casewhere it is determined that registration of a highlight point isrequested, the process goes to step S10 where the content playingcontrol section 13 reads the time stamp at that moment of the contentcurrently playing. The time stamp value read by the content playingcontrol section 13 is output to the control section 12.

In step S11, the control section 12 generates highlight pointregistration request data including the content ID of the content forwhich registration of a highlight point is requested, a user ID, a usergroup ID, a command representing a request to register a highlightpoint, and the time stamp value read by the content playing controlsection 13, and the process goes to step S12, where the control section12 transmits the data to the server 2. Thus, after verification based onthe user ID, the user group ID and the like is performed at the server 2as required, highlight point (bookmark information) registration isperformed (step S32 in FIG. 9)

On the other hand, in a case where, in step S9, it is determined thatregistration of a highlight point is not requested, the process goes tostep S13, where the control section 12 determines whether the playing ofthe content from a highlight point is instructed. For example, theplaying of the content from a highlight point may be performed bypressing the fast-forward button on the remote controller 4 twice insuccession.

In step S13, in a case where the control section 12 determines that theplaying of the content from a highlight point is not instructed, itrecognizes that some other operation unrelated to content playing hasbeen performed, and after executing a process corresponding thereto,terminates the process in FIG. 8.

In step S13, in a case where the control section 12 determines that theplaying of the content from a highlight point is instructed, the processgoes to step S14 and the control section 12 generates play start requestdata including the content ID of the content for which playing from ahighlight point is requested, a user ID, a user group ID, and a commandinstructing playing from the highlight point.

In step S15, the control section 12 transmits the generated play startrequest data to the server 2. Thus, after verification based on the userID, the user group ID and the like is performed at the server 2 asrequired, the playing of the content from the highlight point isperformed (step S51 in FIG. 10).

Next, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 9, a bookmark informationregistration process executed by the server 2 in correspondence to theprocess in FIG. 8 will be described.

In step S31, the control section 21 of the server 2 controls thecommunications control section 121 and receives the bookmark informationregistration request data (the registration request data for the playstart point for the next occasion transmitted in step S8 in FIG. 8, orthe highlight point registration request data transmitted in step S12)transmitted from the client 1. The bookmark information registrationrequest data received by the control section 21 is output to thebookmark information memory section 32.

In step S32, the bookmark information memory section registers thebookmark information based on the data supplied from the control section21. Thus, a list, such as the one shown in FIG. 7, is created andstored.

Next, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 10, a content playingprocess executed by the server 2 in correspondence to the process inFIG. 8 will be described.

In step S41, the control section 21 of the server 2 controls thecommunications control section 121 and receives the play start requestdata transmitted from the client 1 in step S4 in FIG. 8 or the playstart request data transmitted from the client 1 in step S15.

In step S42, on the basis of the content ID included in the play startrequest data, the control section 21 reads from the content memorysection 31 the content to which that ID is allocated, and reads thebookmark information for the content from the bookmark informationmemory section 32. As described above, the content ID for the subjectcontent is included in each bookmark information.

In step S43, the control section 21 refers to the information includedin the bookmark information read in step S42, and determines whether aconfirmation of an access right by user ID is necessary. In step S43, ina case where the control section 21 determines that a confirmation of anaccess right by user ID is necessary, the process goes to step S44 andthe control section 21 determines whether the user ID transmitted fromthe client 1 matches with the user ID included in the bookmarkinformation that is read.

In a case where the control section 21 determines in step S43 that aconfirmation of an access right by user ID is not necessary, as well asin a case where it determines in step S44 that the user ID transmittedfrom the client 1 does not match with the user ID included in thebookmark information, the process goes to step S45.

In step S45, the control section 21 determines whether a confirmation ofan access right by user group ID is necessary. In step S45, in a casewhere the control section 21 determines that confirmation of accessright by user group ID is necessary, the process goes to step S46 andthe control section 21 determines whether or not the user group IDtransmitted from the client 1 matches with the user group ID included inthe bookmark information that is read.

In a case where the control section 21 determines in step S45 thatconfirmation of an access right by user group ID is not necessary, aswell as in a case where it determines in step S46 that the user group IDtransmitted from the client 1 does not match with the user group IDincluded in the bookmark information, the process goes to step S47.

In step S47, the control section 21 determines whether confirmation ofan access right by device ID is necessary. In step S47, in a case wherethe control section 21 determines that confirmation of an access rightby device ID is necessary, the process goes to step S48 and the controlsection 21 determines whether the device ID transmitted from the client1 matches with the device ID included in the bookmark information thatis read.

In a case where the control section 21 determines in step S47 thatconfirmation of an access right by device ID is not necessary, as wellas in a case where it determines in step S48 that the device IDtransmitted from the client 1 does not match with the device ID includedin the bookmark information, the process goes to step S49.

In step S49, the control section 21 plays the content requested by theclient 1 from its beginning. In other words, data is transmitted by thecommunications control section 121 to the client 1 via the home network71 from the beginning of the content read from the content memorysection 31. At the client 1, a playing process for the contenttransmitted from the server 2 is performed (step S62 in FIG. 11).

On the other hand, in a case where in step S44 it is determined that theuser ID transmitted from the client 1 matches with the user ID includedin the bookmark information, in a case where in step S46 it isdetermined that the user group ID transmitted from the client 1 matcheswith the user group ID included in the bookmark information, or in acase where in step S48 it is determined that the device ID transmittedfrom the client 1 matches with the device ID included in the bookmarkinformation, the process proceeds to step S50.

In step S50, the control section 21 determines whether playing from aplay start point registered as bookmark information is requested by theclient 1, and if it determines that playing from a play start point isnot requested, that is, in a case where it determines that playing froma highlight point is being requested, the process goes to step S51.

In step S51, the control section 21 refers to a time stamp representingthe position of the highlight point, and starts playing the read contentfrom the position corresponding to the time stamp. In other words, dataof the content from the position designated by the time stamp of thehighlight point is transmitted to the client 1 via the home network 71.At the client 1, a playing process for the content transmitted from theserver 2 is performed.

On the other hand, in step S50, in a case where the control section 21determines that playing from a play start point is requested, theprocess goes to step S52, and the control section 21 refers to a timestamp included in the bookmark information and representing the positionof the play start point and starts playing the content from the positionof the time stamp. In other words, data of the content from the positiondesignated by the time stamp of the play start point is transmitted tothe client 1 via the home network 71. At the client 1, a playing processfor the content transmitted from the server 2 is performed.

Such processes may be executed not only by the client 1 but also byother clients connected to the server 2 via the home network 71.

In the processes above, use of the bookmark information is allowed to aclient that transmits the same user ID as the user ID registered in thatbookmark information. Therefore, by setting such that verification byuser ID is executed, the user is able to view contents from play startpoints and highlight points from various devices capable of accessingthe server 2 using the bookmark information.

In other words, bookmark information is made available not only to theclient that registered that bookmark information but also to variousclients connected to the server 2, and the user is able to view contentsmore efficiently and comfortably.

In addition, in the processes above, use of the bookmark information isallowed to a client that transmits the same user group ID as the usergroup ID registered in that bookmark information, and thus, the bookmarkinformation may be shared among a plurality of users. For example, auser may register his favorite scene as a highlight point and letanother user view the content from the scene.

Next, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 11, a process by theclient 1 playing content will be described.

In step S61, the communications control section 101 receives contenttransmitted from the server 2 via the home network 71. For example, in acase where playing from a play start point is requested, data of thecontent from the position is transmitted from the server 2 (step S52 inFIG. 10). The content received by the communications control section 101is output to the content playing control section 13.

In step S62, the content playing control section 13 plays (decodes) thecontent supplied from the communications control section 101, andoutputs the obtained data to the display control section 102. In stepS63, the display control section 102 displays images of the content onthe display device 3 on the basis of the output from the content playingcontrol section 13.

It is noted that, in a case where music content is transmitted from theserver 2, music is output from a speaker, not shown in the drawings, onthe basis of data that is played by the content playing control section13.

In the description above, the client 1 and the server 2 were describedas being connected by the home network 71 including a LAN and the like,but as shown in FIG. 12, the server 2 may exist outside of the home, andthe client 1 and the server 2 may be connected via a router 131 and theInternet 132. Thus, even if the server 2 is connected via the Internet132 and the like, through processes similar to those above, the user isable to use the bookmark information registered in the server 2 from aclient connected to a home network within the home or from a clientconnected to the Internet 132.

In addition, in the description above, the server that manages contentsand bookmark information (the server 2) were described as being the samedevice, but contents and bookmark information may also be managed bydifferent devices.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing another functional configurationexample of a communications system to which the present invention isapplied. Elements that find correspondence in FIG. 6 are designated withthe same reference numerals.

A bookmark information management server 141 is a server managingbookmark information, and a content management server 161 is a servermanaging contents. In other words, functions of the server 2 in FIG. 6are realized by the bookmark information management server 141 and thecontent management server 161.

A control section 151 of the bookmark information management server 141controls the overall operations of the bookmark information managementserver 141, and a communications control section 152 controlscommunications performed via the home network 71. In addition, abookmark information memory section 153 stores and manages, for example,bookmark information that is set by the client 1.

A control section 171 of the content management server 161 controls theoverall operations of the content management server 161, and acommunications control section 172 controls communications performed viathe home network 71. In addition, a content memory section 173 managescontents, and provides contents requested by the client 1.

In the communications system in FIG. 13, when registration of bookmarkinformation is instructed by the user while the content provided by thecontent management server 161 is being played (when the stopping of thecontent is instructed and registration of a play start point isinstructed, or when registration of a highlight point is instructed),the client 1 transmits a time stamp value representing the position thatwas being played at that moment and the like to the bookmark informationmanagement server 141, requests registration of bookmark information,and requests the content management server 161 to stop transmitting thecontent.

Then, at a later time, in a case where the playing of the content fromthe position designated by that bookmark information is requested, theclient 1 requests the bookmark information management server 141 tonotify the content management server 161 of the position (time stamp) inthe content designated by the bookmark information.

When a time stamp is notified by the bookmark information managementserver 141, the content management server 161 starts playing the contentfrom that position. In addition, requests carried out by the client 1with respect to the bookmark information management sever 141, andrequests carried out by the bookmark information management server 141with respect to the content management server 161 also includeinformation such as content ID and the like.

At the client 1, the content transmitted from the content managementserver 161 is played.

Thus, the server that manages bookmark information and the server thatmanages contents may each be configured as physically distinct devices.

Next, operations of each device in the communications system in FIG. 13will be described.

First, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 14, a process by theclient 1 in FIG. 13 will be described.

The process in FIG. 14 is a process that is essentially similar to theprocess in FIG. 8 described above, and redundant descriptions will beomitted as deemed appropriate. In other words, when in step S72 it isdetermined that playing from a play start point is instructed by useroperations accepted in step S71, the process goes to step S73 and playrequest data, which requests the playing of content from a play startpoint, is generated. The generated play start request data istransmitted to the bookmark information management server 141 in stepS74.

The data transmitted at this point also includes information thatrequests the bookmark information management server 141 to notify thecontent management server 161 of information on the time stamp (timestamp of the play start point) registered in the bookmark information.At the bookmark information management server 141 that has received theplay start request data, for example, the bookmark information is readon the basis of the content ID, and the time stamp registered thereinrepresenting the play start point is notified to the content managementserver 161 (step S93 in FIG. 15).

On the other hand, in a case where in step S75 it is determined that thestopping of the content currently playing is instructed, bookmarkinformation registration request data that includes a time stamp read instep S76 and that requests the registration of a play start point isgenerated in step S77. The generated bookmark information registrationrequest data is transmitted to the bookmark information managementserver 141 in step S78. It is noted that, in step S78, data requestingthe content management server 161 to stop the playing of the content isalso transmitted from the client 1.

In step S79, in a case where it is determined that registration of ahighlight point is instructed, bookmark information registration requestdata that includes a time stamp read in step S80 and that requests theregistration of a highlight point is generated in step S81. Thegenerated bookmark information registration request data is transmittedto the bookmark information management server 141 in step S82.

In step S83, in a case where it is determined that the playing of thecontent from a highlight point is not instructed, the process isterminated. On the other hand, in a case where it is determined thatplaying from a highlight point is instructed, play start request datathat requests playing from a highlight point is generated in step S84.The generated play start request data is transmitted to the bookmarkinformation management server 141 in step S85.

The play start request data transmitted at this point also includesinformation requesting the bookmark information management server 141 tonotify the content management server 161 of information on the timestamp of the highlight point. At the bookmark information managementserver 141 that has received the play start request data, the bookmarkinformation is read on the basis of the content ID and the like, and thetime stamp registered therein representing the highlight point isnotified to the content management server 161 (step S93 in FIG. 15).

Next, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 15, a process executed bythe bookmark information management server 141 in correspondence to theprocess in FIG. 14 will be described. This process is executed when theplay start request data for content is transmitted from the client 1 instep S74 or S85 in FIG. 14.

In step S91, the communications control section 152 of the bookmarkinformation management server 141 receives the play start request datatransmitted from the client 1 via the home network 71. The received playstart request data is output to the control section 151.

In step S92, on the basis of the content ID and the like included in theplay start request data, the control section 151 reads from the bookmarkinformation memory section 153 the bookmark information that is set forthe content for which the user requests playing, and acquires the timestamp (the time stamp of a play start point or the time stamp of ahighlight point) included therein.

In step S93, the control section 151 of the bookmark informationmanagement server 141 controls the communications control section 152,notifies the content management server 161 of the time stamp acquired instep S92, and instructs the playing of the content from the position ofthat time stamp. For example, the content ID of the content to beplayed, address information of the client 1 that requests provision ofthe content and the like are also notified to the content managementserver 161.

Through the process above, the time stamp of a play start point or thetime stamp of a highlight point is notified to the content managementserver 161.

It is noted that, in a case where registration of bookmark informationis requested by the client 1 in step S78 or S82 in FIG. 14, the processdescribed with reference to FIG. 9 is executed by the bookmarkinformation management server 141, and bookmark information designatinga play start point or a highlight point is registered.

Next, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 16, a process executed bythe content management server 161 in correspondence to the process inFIG. 15 will be described.

In step S101, the communications control section 172 of the contentmanagement server 161 receives information, which is transmitted fromthe bookmark information management server 141, that is necessary inorder to play a content, such as a time stamp representing the positionof a play start point or a highlight point, the content ID of thecontent for which playing is instructed, address information of theclient and the like. The information received by the communicationscontrol section 172 is output to the control section 171.

In step S102, the control section 171 plays the content instructed bythe user from the position of the time stamp transmitted from thebookmark information management server 141. In other words, data of thecontent from the position designated by the time stamp is transmitted tothe client 1 from the content management server 161.

At the client 1, the process described with reference to FIG. 11 isexecuted, and the content is played from the play start point or thehighlight point managed by the bookmark information management server141.

Thus, it is possible to configure each of the server that managesbookmark information and the server that manages contents with differentdevices.

In the description above, the playing of contents is controlled on thebasis of bookmark information. However, the playing of contents may alsobe controlled on the basis of the user's viewing status of the contents.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example ofanother communications system to which the present invention is applied.Elements that find correspondence in FIG. 13 are designated with thesame reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof are omittedwhere appropriate.

A viewing status information management server 181 manages contentviewing statuses (content playing statuses) by the user carried outusing the client 1. Specifically, with a viewing status informationmemory section 193 of the viewing status information management server181, viewing status information, which includes the viewing status ofcontent (for example, that it is in a paused state and the like), thecontent ID of the content, information on the provider of the content(the content management server 161), information, for example, such asthe time stamp of the paused position if the viewing status of thecontent is in a paused state, and the like, is stored.

A request to store this viewing status information is performed by thecontrol section 12 of the client 1 with respect to the viewing statusinformation management server 181 via a viewing status informationstorage request section 101C included in the communications controlsection 101.

Then, for example, when the client 1 is booted, viewing statusinformation including a time stamp representing the paused position istransmitted to the content management server 161 from the viewing statusinformation management server 181 via the client 1, and the playing ofthe content is controlled from the paused position designated by thattime stamp.

By having the playing of the content controlled in accordance with theviewing status of the content at the next boot, for example, the user isable to view the content efficiently.

In addition, as with the bookmark information described above, since theviewing status information is registered in association with the userID, user group ID, device ID and the like, it can be used to viewcontents from a client other than the client that registered the viewingstatus information.

Next, the operations of each device in the communications system in FIG.17 will be described.

First, the operations of the communications system in FIG. 17 that areperformed when the pausing of the content currently playing isinstructed will be described with reference to the flow chart in FIG.18.

For example, when the pausing of the content currently playing isinstructed by the user, the control section 12 of the client 1 controlsthe communications control section 101, and in step S121, requests thecontent management server 161 to stop streaming, while notifying theviewing status information management server 181 that the playing of thecontent is in a paused state and requesting storage thereof.

A control section 191 of the viewing status information managementserver 181 controls a communications control section 192, receives therequest from the client 1 in step S111, proceeds to step S112, and makesthe viewing status information memory section 193 store viewing statusinformation including the fact that the status of the content viewed atthe client 1 is of a paused status, the content ID of that content,information on the provider of the content (the content managementserver 161), a time stamp representing the paused position, and thelike.

In addition, the viewing status information is stored in associationwith the user ID. Therefore, when the client 1 is booted and the user IDtransmitted, at the viewing status information management server 181,the viewing status information is read on the basis of the user ID, andthe playing of the content is controlled in accordance with the viewingstatus represented thereby.

On the other hand, the control section 171 of the content managementserver 161 that has received the request to stop streaming in step S131proceeds to step S132, and stops the streaming of the content that wasbeing provided to the client 1 up to that point.

Next, with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 19, a process by thecommunications system of playing content on the basis of the viewingstatus information stored in the viewing status information managementserver 181 will be described.

For example, in a predetermined timing, such as when booted, the controlsection 12 of the client 1 controls the communications control section101, and requests the viewing status information management server 181to notify viewing status information in step S151. This requestincludes, for example, the user ID of the user of the client 1 and thelike.

In step S141, the request from the client 1 is received by the controlsection 191 of the viewing status information management server 181. Instep S142, the control section 191 reads the viewing status informationfor the client 1 from the viewing status information memory section 193on the basis of the user ID transmitted from the client 1, proceeds tostep S143, and notifies it to the client 1.

In step S152, the control section 12 of the client 1 receives theviewing status information transmitted from the viewing statusinformation management server 181. In step S153, for example, on thebasis of the information included in the viewing status information andwhich designates the provider of the content, the control section 12notifies the content management server 161 of the received viewingstatus information, and requests the playing (resumption of streaming)of the content on the basis of the viewing status information.

In step S161, the request from the client 1 is received by the controlsection 171 of the content management server 161 via the home network 71and the communications control section 172.

From the viewing status information, the control section 171 acquiresthe content ID, the fact that the playing of the content is in a pausedstate, and the time stamp representing that paused position, and in stepS162, on the basis of the content ID, reads the content stored in thecontent memory section 173, and starts the streaming of the content(transmission of the content) from the position designated by the timestamp.

In step S154, the content transmitted from the content management server161 is received by the control section 12 of the client 1, and theplaying thereof is performed in step S155. In other words, the contentfrom the paused position is played by the content playing controlsection 13, and corresponding images are output to the display device 3.

Through the process above, by merely setting it such that the user ID isnotified to the viewing status information management server 181, theuser is able to view the remaining content from the paused position in apredetermined timing, such as when the client is booted, without havingto perform any operations himself.

In addition, since viewing status information is acquired on the basisof user ID, and the playing of the content is controlled on the basis ofthe acquired viewing status information, the user is able to view thecontent that is to be played on the basis of the viewing statusinformation from a client other than the client 1. In this case, theuser needs to set the client such that the user ID is notified to theviewing status information management server 181.

In the description above, a process for a case where, as the viewingstatus of the content, the content currently playing is in a pausedstate is described. However, similarly, even in cases where, for variousreasons, playing is interrupted, such as when the power of the client 1is forcibly turned off while the content is being played or a case wherethe player for the content is forcibly shut down while the content isbeing played and the like, viewing status information representing thosestatuses may be stored, and the playing of the content may be started onthe basis of the viewing status information.

It is noted that a trigger for automatically starting the playing of thecontent is not to be limited to the booting of the client 1 describedabove. For example, automatic playing of content may be carried out in apredetermined timing, such as when a user ID or a password is entered bythe user or when the player for the content is launched and the like.

Further, the configuration of the communications system shown in FIG. 17may be altered as deemed appropriate. For example, the contentmanagement server 161 may be provided on the Internet, or the contentmanagement server 161 and the viewing status information managementserver 181 may be physically incorporated into a single device.

In addition, in the description above, the viewing status information istransmitted to the content management server 161 from the viewing statusinformation management server 181 via the client 1, but the informationmay be transmitted directly from the viewing status informationmanagement server 181 to the content management server 161.

The series of processes described above may be executed by hardware, butthey may also be executed through software.

In a case where the series of processes are to be executed throughsoftware, programs constituting the software are installed, via anetwork or a recording medium, to a computer incorporated into dedicatedhardware or to, for example, a general purpose personal computer capableof performing various functions by having various programs installed,and the like.

This recording medium, as shown in FIG. 5, may include not only packagedmedia, which include the magnetic disk 91 (including flexible disks),the optical disc 92 (including CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)and DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)), the magneto-optical disc 93(including MD (registered trademark) (Mini-Disk)) or the semiconductormemory 94 and the like on which programs are recorded, that aredistributed separately from the apparatus itself in order to provideprograms to the user, but may also include the ROM 82 in which programsare recorded, a hard disk included in the memory section 88 and the likeand which are provided to the user in a state where they arepre-incorporated into the apparatus itself.

It is noted that, in the present description, the steps that describethe programs recorded on the recording medium naturally includeprocesses performed chronologically in accordance with the order inwhich they are described, but they also include processes that areexecuted in parallel or individually, and not necessarily processedchronologically.

In addition, in the present description, the term system refers to anapparatus as a whole including a plurality of apparatuses.

According to the present invention, users are able to view contentsstored in one information management apparatus from informationprocessing apparatuses connected via a network.

In addition, according to the present invention, users are able to viewcontents efficiently and comfortably.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: acontrol device to: store, in a memory, a time stamp representing aposition of content when playing of the content is stopped, based on afirst request over a network from a first apparatus to which the contentis provided over the network, the first request indicating the positionof the content and based on stopping of playing of the content at thefirst apparatus; and provide, over the network, the content from theposition represented by the time stamp, in response to a second requestover the network for playing of the content from the position providedto the information processing apparatus subsequent to the first request,wherein, when the second request is from a second apparatus, the contentis provided to the second apparatus from the position represented by thetime stamp, in which first user identification information is set at thesecond apparatus for automatically being included in the second request,and wherein the time stamp is stored in the memory with second useridentification set at the first apparatus for automatically beingincluded in the first request, and without an indication identifying thesecond apparatus as a source from which the second request istransmitted and an indication identifying the first apparatus as asource from which the first request is transmitted, and in which each ofthe first and second apparatuses is a unique device.
 2. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first request is based on acommand input to the first apparatus by a user to cause the stopping ofplaying of the content.
 3. The information processing apparatus of claim2, wherein the command input represents stopping or pausing of playingof the content.
 4. The information processing apparatus of claim 2,wherein the command input represents an instruction to play othercontent instead of the content.
 5. The information processing apparatusof claim 1, wherein the control device stops providing of the content tothe first apparatus based on the first request.
 6. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stopping of playing of thecontent at the first apparatus is when at least one of power of thefirst apparatus is forcibly turned off or a content player of the firstapparatus is forcibly shut down.
 7. An information processing apparatuscomprising: a control device to: transmit, over a network, a firstrequest to store a time stamp representing a position of content whenplaying of the content is stopped, the first request indicating theposition of the content and based on stopping of playing of the contentat the information processing apparatus; and to play the content fromthe position represented by the time stamp, in accordance with aresponse over the network to a second request transmitted from theinformation processing apparatus over the network for playing of thecontent from the position, the second request being transmittedsubsequent to the first request, in which user identificationinformation is set at the information processing apparatus forautomatically being included in the second request, wherein the timestamp is stored in a memory of an external apparatus based on the firstrequest with the user identification set at the information processingapparatus for automatically being included in the first request, andwithout an indication identifying of the information processingapparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted andan indication identifying the information processing apparatus as asource from which the second request is transmitted.
 8. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information processingapparatus is a television, a personal digital assistant device, acomputer or a mobile phone.
 9. An information processing apparatuscomprising: a control device to: transmit, over a network, a firstrequest to play content from a position represented by a time stamp,wherein the time stamp represents a position of the content when playingof the content is stopped and is stored based on a second requesttransmitted over the network, wherein the second request is based onstopping of playing of the content at an apparatus other than theinformation processing apparatus, the first request being transmittedsubsequent to the second request, in which first user identificationinformation is set at the information processing apparatus forautomatically being included in the first request; and to play thecontent from the position represented by the time stamp, in accordancewith a response over the network to the first request, wherein the timestamp is stored in a memory of an external apparatus based on the secondrequest with second user identification set at the other informationprocessing apparatus for automatically being included in the secondrequest, and without an indication identifying the informationprocessing apparatus as a source from which the first request istransmitted and an indication identifying the other informationprocessing apparatus as a source from which the second request istransmitted.
 10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9,wherein each of the information processing apparatus and the otherapparatus is a television, a personal digital assistant device, acomputer or a mobile phone.
 11. A system for managing information, thesystem comprising: a first control device to store, in a memory, a timestamp representing a position of content when playing of the content isstopped, based on a first request over a network from a first apparatusto which the content is provided over the network, the first requestindicating the position of the content and based on stopping of playingof the content at the first apparatus; and a second control device tostop providing of the content based on the first request and to startproviding the content over the network from the position represented bythe time stamp, in response to a second request over the network forplaying of the content from the position provided to the systemsubsequent to the first request, wherein, when the second request isfrom a second apparatus, the content is provided to the second apparatusfrom the position represented by the time stamp, in which first useridentification information is set at the second apparatus forautomatically being included in the second request, and wherein the timestamp is stored in the memory with second user identification set at thefirst apparatus for automatically being included in the first request,and without an indication identifying of the second apparatus as asource from which the second request is transmitted and an indicationidentifying the first apparatus as a source from which the first requestis transmitted, and in which each of the first and second apparatuses isa unique device.
 12. An information processing apparatus comprising: acontrol device to: receive, over a network, a first request from a firstapparatus to store a time stamp representing a position of content whenplaying of the content is stopped, the first request indicating theposition of the content and based on stopping of playing of the content;and to play the content from the position represented by the time stamp,in response to a second request transmitted over the network for playingof the content from the position, the second request being transmittedsubsequent to the first request, wherein, when the second request isfrom a second apparatus, the content is played from the positionrepresented by the time stamp, in which first user identificationinformation is set at the second apparatus for automatically beingincluded in the second request, and wherein the time stamp is stored ina memory with second user identification set at the first apparatus forautomatically being included in the first request, and without anindication identifying the second apparatus as a source from which thesecond request is transmitted and an indication identifying the firstapparatus as a source from which the first request is transmitted, andin which each of the first and second apparatuses is a unique device.